The Geography of Superhero Films & TV

[Slimybug]

I've lately become obsessed with this!

Marvel
Obviously, most Marvel-related stuff takes place in New York, and boy have I analyzed the Battle of New York in The Avengers!
That film was actually shot in Cleveland, but Stark/Avengers Tower takes the place of the MetLife Building (formerly the PanAm Building) just behind Grand Central Station, with Park Avenue just in front of that. So they actually recreated Park Avenue and the front facade of Grand Central on a set in Cleveland, and that's where most of the action takes place! It's accurate right down to Central Cafe below Park Avenue, and the red umbrellas over the tables outside! Pretty cool!
That same locale shows up again multiple times in the MCU, including Peter meeting MJ there at the end of Far from Home.

But then there's the DC stuff, which, unlike Marvel, is all in fictional cities.

Batman '66
I haven't seen it in a long time, but from what I'm told, in the 1966 Batman series, Gotham City is supposed to be New York.

Superman '78
In this franchise, Metropolis is New York. I got excited when I learned that Lex Luthor's lair was underneath Grand Central and the building Lois Lane fell from was across the street from the PanAm/MetLife Building. So I thought I'd see some of the same locations as in Avengers, but you never see PanAm or Grand Central.

Batman '89-'97
Tim Burton's and Joel Schumacher's Gotham Cities are ground-up original creations, with matte paintings or terrible CGI shots representing the skylines.

Smallville
Shot in Vancouver, which stands in for Metropolis. The Marine Building stands in for The Daily Planet, with a CGI globe added.

The Dark Knight Trilogy
Chicago.

Superman Returns
Shot in Australia. I'd like to know what the skyline is taken from.
Screenshot (1).jpg

The Arrowverse
Then there's the CW Arrowverse shows, which are all shot in Vancouver. However, they can't have the same skylines for Star City, Central City, National City, and Gotham City. Supergirl/National City is pretty obviously L.A. I know Batwoman gets some of its plate shots from Chicago, so Gotham is Chicago just like in Nolan's films. But I'd be interested in what skylines are supposed to be Star City and Central City.

DCEU
The same thing goes for Metropolis in the Snyderverse

Anything else people have noticed/are wondering?

[Slimybug]

Okay, I did some more research, and it looks like the skylines from The Flash are taken from Portland, OR (near Vancouver, where it's shot), and that of Arrow are in Boston. The Queen Consolidated building is actually 100 Summer St., Boston.

[babyblob]

Union Terminal here in Cincinnati is the building the Super Friends hang out in.


126026


126027

[Jokerz79]

Batman Begins and Dark Knight were filmed in Chicago while Dark Knight Rises was filmed mostly in Pittsburgh as the Gotham stand in.

[Slimybug]

Batman Begins and Dark Knight were filmed in Chicago while Dark Knight Rises was filmed mostly in Pittsburgh as the Gotham stand in.

Yup, I definitely want to visit the steps at Carnegie Mellon University where Batman fought Bane!

[Jokerz79]

Yup, I definitely want to visit the steps at Carnegie Mellon University where Batman fought Bane!

It's a literal 15 minute walk from my place to those steps

[Slimybug]

Oh, wow! So the Fantastic Four films (2005 & 2007) were filmed in Vancouver, and the Marine Building was both the Baxter Building in those and the Daily Planet in Smallville.

I'd think that was cool, but I'm also a bit miffed that the FF films weren't actually shot in New York with New York locations. That's what was so cool about the Marvel Studios movies and Superman

[Sutekh]

Superman '78
In this franchise, Metropolis is New York. I got excited when I learned that Lex Luthor's lair was underneath Grand Central

Kid me coveted that lair so bad! A lair under Grand Central in a deco style that had an indoor swimming pool? Yes, please, I want to be a super-villain! SO much cozier than Superman's ice fortress, which looks A) cold, B) lots of pointy bits, C) really far away from any decent restaurants.

[DanMad1977]

Yup, I definitely want to visit the steps at Carnegie Mellon University where Batman fought Bane!

Damn, i didnt know that. I was in Philly to visit the Rocky locations, and had no clue that it had Batman filming locations, too.

[Slimybug]

Damn, i didnt know that. I was in Philly to visit the Rocky locations, and had no clue that it had Batman filming locations, too.

Pittsburgh, not Philly.

Though I too have been to the Rocky locales. The steps and Mighty Mick's Gym!